we are all olympians

February 12, 2010

I feel very fortunate to have been adopted by Canada and the beautiful city of Vancouver, and I am feeling the contagious excitement as we are about to open the 2010 Olympic Games. Watching the city preparing itself for the crush of tourists, athletes, and journalists, and learning the stories of various teams and individual participants has engendered numerous thoughts on topics such as: dedication, determination, pride, unity, and optimism.

To summarize my stream of consciousness, I remember a quote by psychoanalyst Karen Horney, who once said, “If you want to be proud of yourself, then do things in which you can take pride.” I firmly believe in this truism. Think about it. What would your life be like if you channeled just some of the energy you spend on thoughts and behaviors that make you feel shame, fear, or sadness, toward thoughts and actions that make you feel strong, courageous, competent, or loving?

Sometimes, especially when one is ambivalent about recovery, resisting a self-destructive impulse such as bingeing, purging, starving, cutting, or lashing out, can feel like an Olympic event. Do you think that an athlete stands at the starting gate thinking, “I can’t do this. It’s too hard. I’m going to fail”? No way. He or she is visualizing what they CAN do, what they WILL do, and is absolutely determined to give it all they have at that moment.

Let’s each one of us find the Olympian within who gives us the strength and courage to be who we really want to be.

Go Canada! Go World!